a lantern's fire
by Asupilsen
Summary: When a fire appeared again in the Teiko Kingdom, the red commander witnessed the Lantern vessel surrounded by the flames, holding a lantern and shedding a tear. Whether it was because Akashi realised that his tears could douse the fire or it was out of love, the soldier jumped in, and willingly let Kuroko's fire embrace him completely. The ending to the unfinished ' lanterns '.


**A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR **

**Does anyone remember of this story, ' lanterns ' that I wrote when I was previously scythe-chan? It was about Kuroko Tetsuya, who was the Prince of the Teiko Kingdom, but was banished and lived in a cottage because he was born a Lantern. This whole Lantern oppression came about because in the Kingdom there were several early cases of the vessels (a vessel is born every 100 years) creating a huge fire that devoured Teiko, and thus they found out that the vessels had a lantern birthmark on their right hands and it made it easy for them to figure out who to banish. **

**If you think that it will be hard to read because you have not read ' lanterns ' yet, not to worry! There will be a lot of backstory here, and fellow ' lanterns ' readers may find some events you have not read about that happened before the ending. **

**Summary: When the Fire appeared again in the Teiko Kingdom, the red commander witnessed the vessel surrounded by the flames, holding a lantern and shedding a tear. Whether it was because Akashi realised that that single tear could douse the whole fire or it was out of a long love, the soldier jumped in, and willingly let Kuroko's fire to embrace him completely. The ending to the unfinished ' lanterns '. **

**Please leave a review, it's gold earned by the author and I highly appreciate it. :)**

* * *

Akashi Seijuuro, both Commander of the Teiko Army and its First Unit, had always found Kuroko Tetsuya, the Lantern Prince of the Teiko Kingdom, otherworldly and unusual. Every single moment their eyes locked, he would feel this sensation that seemed electric, and it always reminded him that no matter how mystic Kuroko was he was enchanting; Akashi loved him.

It was so unfortunate, so unfortunate to be attached to each other, when often the kisses they shared that were far and few between were to be on land of red flowers, abandoned firearms and rotting flesh.

The circumstances were dire, but Akashi could remember vividly how tightly he held onto Kuroko. Sometimes Akashi would gently press his lips onto the surprised Lantern's because he was happy over the Kingdom's newest victory, sometimes he would pin Kuroko onto the wall and leave him panting because of the sudden, angry yet somewhat thrilling kisses he gave, to which Kuroko attributed to bad news from the Kingdom.

There was a time when Akashi had to leave Kuroko to Aomine, the Caretaker of the Lantern, which was an inborn companion physically stronger than a vessel if put simply, because he had to leave for the huge war between Teiko and Seirin. It was winter, and before Akashi officially made his leave from the cottage Kuroko gave him a scarf that he knitted by himself.

_" So that in the battlefield, you will not be cold. " _

Akashi could not hide his smile that told Kuroko a thousand thank-yous, and chose to engulf Kuroko in a tight hug. Their eyes stared at each other, and Akashi felt that electrical sensation all around his body again. With his gloved hand holding onto the back of Kuroko's head, he pushed him nearer to his face gently, and their eyes gradually close, sharing their last kiss before the commander goes. Both had never experienced such a strong affection before, and when they thought of what would happen if they did not have each other, they were afraid.

The soldier could feel hot tears streaming from Kuroko's face, and to imagine that this person in front of him was crying because of him, Akashi squeezed Kuroko's hand even more tightly.

_Oh, _Akashi thought, and try as he might he shed a tear he could not control. _I really love him so. _

In the battlefield, he could feel this unusual warmth from the scarf he wore, and for some mysterious reason a fire started and killed half of the soldiers in the Seirin Army. He assumed that it had got to do with the abilities of the Lantern vessels. The legend of the Lanterns came about because of the first vessel who bore a birthmark shaped like a lantern on his right hand, and caused a fire he could not control with the paper lantern he held to destroy the whole Teiko civilisation back then. Something about this got him unsettled, because he had never seen Kuroko projecting his ability before.

That was when he suddenly recalled something, during his first encounter with the Lantern vessel.

Akashi remembered that he had referred to Kuroko as the catalyst to his death.

* * *

They died together in the fire his lover created.

When Akashi Seijuuro came back from the victorious battle against Seirin, he witnessed a horrifying fire that feasted on the grand Teiko Kingdom. The orange everyone had hated came back, and instinctively he knew that it was the doing of the Lantern vessel; his beloved.

Everything was in chaos, and people screamed for help while the soldiers that returned sought to maintain order for evacuation. Not even buckets of water could subdue the deadly fire that easily, and Akashi knew that he had to find his love quickly.

It did not take too long, for he found the vessel when he turned around, discovering him to be surrounded by flames that only knew nothing but to be a glutton. Kuroko held onto his blue paper lantern with his right hand, and as they make eye contact, Akashi expected to feel that sensation thrill him again.

It did not, he felt hollow.

As if it were just illusions he had made up, or was it because there was no emotion in Kuroko's eyes when he looked at him?

Kuroko smiled apologetically though, as if he knew he was in the wrong for coming here to do the deed. Akashi opened his mouth to ask why, what was the reason he had wanted to commit this immoral crime, but he knew that it was not something Kuroko could control, and that goes the same for the previous vessels as well.

The bluenet shed a tear, and Akashi recalled yet again something weird that happened when it came to the vessel.

There was a time when a sakura tree near the cottage was the victim of a small fire, and it was so painful to bear for Kuroko considered the sakura trees to be his only friends before Akashi came into his life. Tears streamed onto his face, and these teardrops found their way onto the fire that was hungrily devouring the tree and was immediately doused.

Were Kuroko's tears the cure to the fire?

The flames grew stronger.

Kuroko must be reading his mind, if he could cause Akashi to not say a word when he initially wanted to ask the vessel a question. The bluenet smiled again, and mouthed words to the commander who could understand everything, and he understood.

The vessel was reciting to him one of his many poems he loved to talk about to the commander.

The poem was about a pair of lovers.

Akashi smiled back and nodded to the bluenet's request, and as he bravely walked into the fire he watched his lover rub his tears away and press his right hand onto his heart. His brain hurt for a while, and he could feel his consciousness slipping away from him, but that was alright because he was now embraced by Kuroko's fires. The heat was unbearable and uncomfortable, but it led him to think of the blood-stained scarf he used that Kuroko gave him as a fare-well present.

He forgot to express his thanks and love to him.

Akashi Seijuuro, both Commander of the Teiko Army and its First Unit, had always found Kuroko Tetsuya, the Lantern Prince of the Teiko Kingdom, otherworldly and unusual. Every single moment their eyes locked, he would feel this sensation that seemed electric, and it always reminded him that no matter how mystic Kuroko was he was enchanting.

* * *

_**" Akashi loved him so. "**_

* * *

In the next 100 years, one would see yet another vessel with the exact same name and appearance of the predecessor, and his Caretaker a man of lovely red hair, who does not know why he was bent on keeping a scarf that he had no memories of.

Maybe, if the two ended up falling in love with each other again, we would see them as the Lantern and the Caretaker in another 100 years, and as long as the bluenet does not fall in love with someone else, the cycle will continue.

This is the end of the story of a love that was never to be, and yet it decided to make acquaintances with a certain fire.


End file.
